Tammany Talk: Irish band feeling lucky with steady gigs

Casey Crosby of the Crescent City Celtic Band describe the Slidell-based band as 99.9 percent Irish, with a wee bit of Cajun. That takes into account Frank Williams who plays upright base and accordion; and Jake Alford who plays guitar, harmonica and accordion.

The Crescent City Celtic Band plays Shenanigan's Irish Pub on Saturday in Slidell.

There also is Jeff Shaw of Covington on fiddle, mandolin and lead vocals, who Crosby calls a “real musician” with 20 years’ classical violin experience. Crosby, of Slidell, lends guitar and vocals to the group and plays a “guitjo,” a six-string guitar that looks a banjo.

The group has been playing modern and traditional Irish pub songs, of the usual hand-clapping, toe-tapping sort, Crosby said, for the past two years. They once played together in the Tuesday night jam in Slidell that was then called Casey and the Rusty Strings. But some of the members loved Irish as much as they loved bluegrass and Cajun and “one day we decided to be a band,” she said.

Call it the luck of the Irish, but so far they’ve played two Abita Springs Opry, including St. Patrick’s Day weekend; the Washington Parish Fair; the Celtic Nations Fest; The Kerry Irish Pub and Matt Murphy’s Irish House in New Orleans; and with acclaimed Celtic balladeer Danny O’Flaherty, who she said, “Gave us a shot.” They have two CDs, including “Live at Kerry’s.”

They will return to Shenanigan’s Irish Pub on Saturday and again Aug. 18 at 8 p.m., 2165 U.S. 190 W. in Slidell.

She said some of their requested originals include Shaw’s “Desire,” which she describes as a love song that incorporated many New Orleans street names into the theme of falling in love. Hers is “The Scotsman.” Then there’s the usual favorites about “drunks, food, sunken ships, Irish protest songs” and sing-alongs and popular favorites like “Whiskey in the Jar,” “Wild Rover,” and “Leaving of Liverpool.”

Although they have regular followers, audiences known to join in. “You can’t just sit and not move” she said of the band’s music.

Crosby said they started out with 30 minutes of material and now have four hours’ worth. “It’s amazing how fast it’s grown. We’ve exploded,” she said, and play just about every weekend. “We love it, it’s not work,” she said.

Whether they have the ‘big time’ at the end of their rainbow, is hard to say. But at 60, she said, “If we are going anywhere, we better do it fast.”

Political satirist and comedian Chris Champagne will present “Grand Delusions” a “best of” nine shows that he has created since Hurricane Katrina that include Cirque de Dodgris, Snakes on Dumaine, Non-Fat VooDoo, City of Refuse, Season of the Mitch, Jindaliwood Squares, and Gawdzilla. The one-night show is Wednesday, 8 p.m. at Friends Coastal Restaurant, 407 St. Tammany at Water Street in Madisonville.

The sketches will feature his signature character “Numa” who came alive after Hurricane Katrina when the lights were out, the curfew was on and for many, talk radio was the only game in town. Champagne calls talk radio an unappreciated American art form.

“It’s a fake call-in radio show called ‘Vent Your Spleen.’ It reflects back on when Consolidated Broadcasters of New Orleans joined forces to broadcast live call-in shows that were kind of a life line,” he said.

Champagne’s call-in show features a cast of memorable characters, including the caller who asks, “Is this Garland? Is this Garland?” “This ain’t Gawland,” says Numa. And indeed it’s not.

“Numa is a gadfly, a political provocateur, a Yat everyman,” Champagne said. “He’s a New Orleans character that’s putting his two cents in.”

Champagne calls himself “an equal opportunity skewer” whose rants, monologues and sketches take a comedic look at all sides of the political spectrum

In a departure from his usual “take-no-prisoners” style of one-man theater, this is a “one-man-with-a-woman show,” he said. He’ll be joined by Peggy Sanders who will be performing as “‘Very Gross’ interviews Numa on ‘Fresh Hair’ about everything and everybody from Mitch, Nagin, Jefferson, Jindal, and Serpas to the BP oil spill and the T-P,” he said.

“Peggy has performed in the local Gridiron show in the past and was in my production ‘Roach Opera’ at Le Chat Noir appearing as ‘Hillary Clinton runs for Mayor of New Orleans’ and other roles.” Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. For reservations, call 504.330.9117.

POETRY FOR A CAUSE

Local poet Dennis Formento found out his publisher Michael Czarnecki lost everything — his house, his press, his books — to a fire in July. He has organized a poetry reading Tuesday, 7 p.m., at McKeown’s Books and Difficult Music, 4737 Tchoupitoulas St. New Orleans. Poets include Gina Ferrara, fellow Foothills Press author Danny Kerwick and Scott Nicholson.

“I’ll be taking donations to help him and his family,” Formento said. Formento has six copies left of his book of poetry, “Looking for an Out Place,” published by Czarnecki’s Foothills Publishing. There are two at McKeown’s and six at Maple Street, he said. The numbers show the importance of small publishing efforts such as Czarnecki’s, who now must replace not only his home, but his press.

Czarnecki brought a troupe of poets from Rochester N.Y. to Slidell after Hurricane Katrina to bring poetic healing to Formento’s beleaguered hometown. Now, Formento, the local poet and Delgado English teacher, hopes to return the favor.

REDFISHBLUES BAND

The RedFishBlues Band plays the opening of Landlubbers Pub and Club on Friday, 8 p.m. to midnight, at 3606 Pontchartrain Drive in Slidell.

The celebration begins with a DJ at 3 p.m. followed by Dana Abbot at 4:30 p.m. The ribbon-cutting for the smoke-free club will be at 4 p.m. and includes free food.

For information, call 985.641.9218.

Redfish Blues Band’s combined years of experience and musicianship include harmonica player Tom Collins of Slidell; vocalist Yvette Voelker of New Orleans’ Pfister Sisters; Bobby “Giz” Stephens on guitar and vocals; Joe Brocato III on drums; and Lloyd Alombro “Groove-o-saurus Rex,” the rock-solid bottom line of the band..

Landlubbers owners Joe DiGiovanni and Rob Howell are bringing the music people love in a comfortable and bluesy atmosphere.

Tammany Talk features entertainment news in the St. Tammany Picayunes and online at www.nola.com/northshore. Email entertainment information to slidell@timespicayune.com; or contact Sharon Edwards at 985.645.2856.